Parents protest as Parry Sound students face classes in construction sites
'Today we're just trying to hype up the awareness of the Near North District School Board's plan. We're questioning their contingency plan,' said Shane Reynolds with the group 'Parents for Parry Sound.' 'We're standing in front of the existing high school, which is a third broken down right now with demolition. We have questions that are still outstanding.'
Parry Sound - Parents Protest
Parents and students gathered outside on August 15, 2025, to voice frustration over the Near North District School Board's handling of school construction delays. With both the existing high school and the new JK-12 site under construction, families say they lack clear answers about safety and logistics for the upcoming school year. (Madison Marier/CTV News Northern Ontario)
Amy Black, another parent with the group, echoed concerns over transparency.
'We band together when push comes to shove, and we are not taking a very vague media release as a satisfactory answer,' she said. 'We want proof that the school is safe. We want proof that the well-being of the children is the priority. So far, we have yet to see that.'
Board releases contingency plan
Late Friday, the board published an eight-page contingency plan on its website and social media, addressing safety and operational adjustments. The document confirms that fire alarms, PA systems and security cameras remain functional at Parry Sound High School, despite partial demolition. A conference room will serve as a temporary library, while a classroom will host bagged lunches in place of a cafeteria.
Parry Sound school construction site
Parry Sound High School sits as a construction site as demolition had started on the building before it became clear a the new school's construction would not be completed for the start of the 2025-26 school year. (Madison Marier/CTV News Northern Ontario)
In a media release, the board acknowledged the 'delay and resulting confusion' but emphasized that student safety and learning continuity are 'paramount.' The plan, developed with input from the Ministry of Education and community partners, remains 'fluid,' with updates to be shared via email and a dedicated webpage.
Uncertain timelines and logistics
The $58.5 million school project, funded by the province in June 2023, has no confirmed completion date. The board stated it is working with contractors to finalize timelines but warned that exterior work may continue into 2026.
Parry Sound - New school rendering
An undated computer graphic rendering of what the new Parry Sound JK-12 school will look like when consturction is completed. (Supplied/Near North District School Board)
Temporary measures include redistributing some students to McDougall and Nobel Public Schools, which the board says have 'sufficient capacity.' Transportation details are expected by Aug. 25, and remote learning has been ruled out as an option at this time.
Calls for transparency persist
Parents continue to push for in-person updates, but the board has not committed to a town hall, stating it will rely on digital communications. Reynolds and others argue more direct engagement is needed.
'We want our questions answered,' Black said. 'Right now, it feels like we're being kept in the dark.'
Parry Sound - Parents Protest
Parents gathered outside on August 15, 2025, to voice frustration over the Near North District School Board's handling of school construction delays. With both the existing high school and the new JK-12 site under construction, families say they lack clear answers about safety and logistics for the upcoming school year. (Madison Marier/CTV News Northern Ontario)
The Near North District School Board urges families to monitor its website for further adjustments as the school year approaches and check its new FAQ page to address common questions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
13 minutes ago
- National Post
Tennis officials refuse call to cancel Davis Cup match-up between Israel and Canada in Halifax
Tennis officials are refusing to give in to the demands of an open letter calling for the cancellation of a match-up between Israeli and Canadian players that's scheduled to be hosted in Halifax next month. Article content On Sept. 12 and 13, Canada and Israel will play each other in the Davis Cup, the leading team tennis event in the world. The result of the tie, a series of five matches, will determine which country advances to the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers. Article content Article content Article content The letter, which was signed by more than 400 academics, activists, athletes and writers argues that sport can no longer be treated as simply sport given the international scrutiny over Israel's military operations in Gaza. Article content Article content 'This is an important moment for Sport Canada and Tennis Canada to promote social justice and stand on the right side of history,' says a letter addressed to the two organizations. Article content The International Tennis Federation (ITF), which organizes the Davis Cup, said in a statement that it would not bar Israel from competing. Article content 'We recognize this is a highly complex situation that goes far beyond sport. However, Israel has not been excluded from international sporting events and it has not been suspended by the International Olympic Committee,' the ITF said. 'Across tennis, careful consideration is given to the participation of teams and players representing every nation, and the safety of all players, tournament staff and supporters is always paramount at every event. We will continue to work closely with Tennis Canada in relation to this event.' Article content Article content Tennis Canada also said the match will go ahead as planned and emphasized that its role is to promote the sport and create opportunities for players and fans. Article content Article content 'Tennis Canada acknowledges the ongoing and deeply complex situation in the Middle East,' the organization said in a statement. Article content 'Our focus remains on ensuring a safe, fair, and professional competition for all athletes, staff, volunteers and spectators.' Article content Signatories to the letter include journalists and University of British Columbia professors Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis, Alex Neve, formerly the secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, and now a professor at the University of Ottawa, and three former United Nations special rapporteurs. Scores of other academics across a variety of research fields, including geography, history and kinesiology, also signed the letter. Article content They argue that Canada has issued sanctions against Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's national security minister, and Defence Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The letter also alleges that Israel is committing a genocide, something the Canadian government has not stated. Israel denies the allegation.
CBC
14 minutes ago
- CBC
MP who stepped down for Pierre Poilievre's byelection says he'll run again
Social Sharing Damien Kurek says he doesn't plan to stay away from politics for long. The former Conservative MP recently gave up his seat in the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot so that party leader Pierre Poilievre could run there. Poilievre, who lost his longtime Ottawa-area seat during this year's federal election, is hoping that Monday's byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot will put him back in the House of Commons. The riding is widely considered a safe bet for Conservative candidates. Kurek first won it in 2019, and was re-elected in April with 82.8 per cent of the vote. Poilievre will have a staggering 213 rivals for the seat, but the majority of them are part of the Longest Ballot Committee, an organized effort to stack ballots in order to advocate for electoral reform. Kurek says he expects Poilievre will beat them all handily, and be a great advocate for constituents in Battle River-Crowfoot. Nevertheless, Kurek says he expects to be back on the ballot himself the next time a general election rolls around. Here is part of his conversation with As It Happens guest host Catherine Cullen. Battle River-Crowfoot is considered one of the safest ridings in the country. Is this a done deal for Pierre Poilievre? When my wife Danielle and I made the offer to Pierre, and he accepted, he came and started meeting with supporters and volunteers and constituents. The first thing he said is Battle River-Crowfoot doesn't owe him anything and he's going to work for them, work for their votes. And over the course of the last three or so months since that time, that's exactly what he's done. If it's not a sure thing, then how much muscle [have] you got out there on the ground today? How big are the Conservative forces trying to ensure that people who would vote for Mr. Poilievre make it out to the polls? We've got a great local team of people. And then we have a whole bunch of others. They're excited about the potential of a national leader running local. You brought in some reinforcements, Damian? Yeah, there's some people that have come, you know, some members of the Conservative caucus that have come out and knocked [on] a few doors at different points in time. But at the foundation of it, I tell you, my team here on the ground locally, they're both exceptional and they're excited about the potential of having Pierre Poilievre as their member of Parliament. You set a pretty high bar for Mr. Poilievre, perhaps unintentionally, in the election in April [with] 83 per cent of the vote. Do you think Pierre Poilievre can meet that bar? I don't know what the percentage will be. That's up to the people here. None of these other, you know, 200-plus names seemed to even know where Battle River-Crowfoot was prior to Pierre running here in this byelection. But when it comes to Pierre and fighting for the values of this region, he's done that his entire political career. He took calls when it came to local issues, fighting for national issues that have big local impact. Mr. Poilievre is being scrutinized, right? He's got a leadership review coming up in January. What kind of message do you think it sends if he can't reach the level that you did? I have not had campaigns run against me of any serious nature throughout my time in politics. It seems like all the other parties ignore us here in rural Alberta until, all of a sudden, they could see their name in the light. So when it comes to what the result is, I don't know. That's up to the people of the Battle River-Crowfoot. But when we go from town to town, people are excited about the fact that Pierre Poilievre wants to fight for them. WATCH | What's at stake for Pierre Poilievre? What's at stake for Pierre Poilievre in this Alberta byelection? 1 day ago Last month,, who's running against Pierre Poilievre. Let's listen to a bit of what she told the show: "People voted overwhelmingly for Damien. They did not vote for Pierre here. And the voices are getting louder and louder of people saying: Hey, we don't want Pierre here because he's not Damien. What he's doing is insulting, it's frustrating, it's costing us money. Just because people here support Conservatives, that does not necessarily mean that they support Pierre." What do you say to that? It's up to the people to decide, but when it comes down to it, at the thousands of doors that Pierre and I and our team of volunteers has knocked [on] ... they're not afraid to ask Pierre tough questions. They're not afraid to talk about the challenges that they're facing, why we so desperately need a change in that Liberal government She mentions the cost. Conservatives talk a lot about not wasting money. How do you justify to the people in this riding that they had an elected representative — you — that they were perfectly happy with months ago, and now all this money is being spent, ultimately, it seems, to benefit Pierre Poilievre? Pierre Poilievre is the right man to be prime minister, who will bring accountability back to our government. And I think that it's time for that to be given the priority. Are you going to run again in the next general election? Is this a one-time thing for Mr. Poilievre or is he to be the representative for Battle River-Crowfoot in perpetuity going forward? In the conversations we had immediately after, he asked what my plans were and I said: "Look, I want to continue being involved in politics. This is my home. I still have a farm here and look forward to being able to continue to stand for politics." And then he asked if I would like to stand as a Conservative candidate in the next general election. I said that it would be an honour to ask the people whether or not they would send me back. And certainly, that's what I plan to do. But, ultimately, that will be up to the people. OK, so you'd like to come back. This is, to your understanding, a one-time deal for Mr. Poilievre?
CBC
14 minutes ago
- CBC
Capital Pride facing campaign to restore pro-Palestinian statement to its website
Social Sharing An advocacy campaign is calling for Capital Pride to bring back a polarizing statement in support of Palestinians that it removed from its website ahead of this year's Pride Month. Capital Pride, the group that organizes Pride Month in Ottawa, said it removed the statement as part of an "online refresh" aimed at focusing on this year's theme of "We are the village." Queers for Palestine says it represents 70 organizations calling on Capital Pride to reaffirm the statement. "Capital Pride needs to choose between standing with us and standing with the institutions that boycotted and pressured them last year," Masha Davidovic, a member of Queers for Palestine — Ottawa, told CBC's All In A Day on Monday. "It's really clear that overwhelmingly, the feeling of our community is that solidarity values and Pride as a protest is really what they want to see from our prides more and more, especially at times like this," she said. Capital Pride had hoped to avoid the controversy it stirred during last year's Pride Month when it issued a polarizing "solidarity with Palestine" statement that provoked a backlash. The statement included four "commitments" relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including pledges to recognize the "ongoing genocide" in Gaza, integrate a boycott list into its sponsorship reviews, host a "queer Arab showcase" and call for a ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages and increased humanitarian aid. The Jewish Federation of Ottawa called the statement " antisemitic" and said it would boycott the Pride parade in response. Other groups and individuals withdrew their support and sponsorship from some Pride Month events, among them Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Ottawa hospitals, school boards and the Liberal Party of Canada. Davidovic said last year's withdrawal of support looked like "bullying and censoring" from non-2SLGBTQ+ groups. "What we saw was non-LGBT organizations, politicians, corporations pulling their support from our community and making their allyship with us and their support for us conditional on us censoring our own protest in solidarity values," she said. "That's not real allyship." Capital Pride's executive director Callie Metler said the organization removed the statement in support of Palestinians as part of a website update, but it stands by its "principles and values." "Every year, we refresh our online environment and we focus on new issues and new concerns in our community," she told CBC's Ottawa Morning on Monday. "This year we're focusing on the theme 'We are the village' to really just bring home the fact that we are stronger together. And when 2SLGBTQ rights are under attack across this country and south of the border, we need to come together as a village." She continued: "The principles and the values that we expressed in that statement continue to guide the organizing of the 2025 festival." Some Jewish groups have welcomed Capital Pride's efforts to mend bridges. The Jewish Federation of Ottawa will be returning to this year's Pride parade, according to federation president Adam Silver. "We acknowledge that Capital Pride leadership has met several times with queer and ally Jewish leaders in our community and taken important steps to rebuild trust," Silver wrote in a statement to CBC.
